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Artsy soiree makes comeback

The Artists & Writers Ball, a bohemian celebration, reappears after an absence of nearly two decades from the Tampa scene.

By STEPHANIE HAYES
Published October 8, 2006

TAMPA - Art was on the walls, the floor, the tables and on the bodies of the partygoers.

After an 18-year sabbatical, the Artists & Writers Ball returned in all its waggish glory Saturday night at Ybor City's Cuban Club.

"There is a sense of debauchery in this whole event, which is all in fun," said Joanne Karpay, a muralist who came to the event dressed in disco-inspired outer space garb. "Artists and writers have a bad reputation. It's about celebrating that."

Led by photographer Bud Lee, a group of Ybor City artists and writers introduced the ball to Ybor City in the 1970s, a spoof of the area's Gasparilla krewes.

The ball became an outlet for creative types to let loose - to drink, party and socialize while dressed in outlandish costumes.

The balls stopped in 1988. But this year, organizers wanted to revive some of Ybor City's lost bohemian spirit.